truck ramps??

[fish4ever1000]

Finally getting my first sled. Anybody have any experiance with those ramps that you use to drive your sled into the back of your truck? I'm thinking of getting one of those fold-up ones to avoid buying a trailer for now. Just curious as to how user friendly they are and such.

[mamohr686]

I have heard that they are not worth it. The ramps are usually bulky and you need to be perfectly level to use them and secure them properly for loading. Also, the carbides can do dammage to your truck bed. Unless you have a long box, the tailgate will not close so you have to use tiedowns to secure the sled. If your going to be going to different areas I suggest looking for a used trailer. A good used galvanized trailer will probably set you back about $400-$600 for a 2 place and about $700 to $900 for a used aluminum tilt bed.

[311Hemi]

Here's my ramp.....cheap to build ($20-$30) and works great. I load it by myself. This is loading into my 03 1500 Ram on 35's. I have the plastic bed liner so it slides pretty easily.

Once the sled is up on the ramp I sometimes back the truck up 1-2 feet just to get the engine up a little higher. Makes it a little easier lifting on my back, but is not needed.

Just pull out, release the brake, and pull right off.

Loading:

-lean it up

-drive sled up an lock brake

**sometimes I will put the truck in reverse at this point to push everything a little higher, moves the center of gravity up a bit making it easier to lift**

-lift up on rear and push into truck

A few things to note:

-it works better when there is loose snow on the ground to dig the end into, but as you can see I have used it in parking lots also. I think some screws sticking out the bottom would help with the slippery surfaces.

-It's easy for me to push in the truck because of the plastic beliner. If you had a spray in it could be quite a bit tougher. Might then need to put some wheels on it. I may do that anyway just to make it easier to push in.

[PierBridge]

SWEET............Hemi.......

[TV BOY]

Great Idea!

Are those ramps 2x4's with a 2x6 like an I beam?

[fish4ever1000]

Great idea Hemi! Any chance that you could give me some dimensions of your set-up? I think we have the same size sled so measurements would match up perfectly. I've got an '06 Polaris Supersport 550. Also have the plastic bedliner so this could work well.

Ever had any slippage issues, particularly when you back up your truck or do you have some safety chains or something? Also any problems with level surfaces as mentioned earlier?

[311Hemi]

It is all 2x4, I just cut some the long way for the short pieces where the ski's grooves are.

I will work on getting the dimensions but I have bad cold right now so it may be a few days. The dimension may be difrerent if you have a 06 sled....I have the GEN II chasis, and I think the edge was an inch or two wider in the front.....so you will want to measure yours.

All you really need to do is measure the width of your ski's (center to center) and use that for the ski runners width (groove where the ski's are) dimensions. Then, just make it long enough for your sled from very front point to very end point. I would probably make it a bit longer my next time around.

Don't get me wrong, if your on a road that is slippery the ramp could slide. Putting a few screws or a couple metal cleats on the bottom would probably stop that from happening. It has not been an issue for me since I usually try to find some snow when I load/unload.....although I did load it fine in that parking lot as in the pics. If you make it a little longer it would probably lighten the amount of weight you have to lift.

I have had it slip while backing up....but only like an inch or two...and thats when I know it's as high as it will go, it's my turn to lift it into the bed. I am sure there is something that could be done so the bottom grabs the road surface (i.e. screws, metal cleat..etc.)

I have some ideas to make it much more functional, but have not had time to look into it. Mainly puttting wheels on it at certain points so it will roll (and not into the tailgate groove), a stopper (mounted to the ramp) to keep it from having any chance of sliding up or down while the sled has pressure on the ramp.....this would also make it work easier for all surfaces.

It would really be nice to include an elecric winch so it would pull up automatically with no effort!!!!

[Surface Tension]

Hemi, very nice rig. Rollers and a come-along would be a great addition but the raw power of a quick lift followed by strong surge of a shoulder to get that baby up and into the box seems so inviting.

[hanson]

I agree. That is pretty sweet!

I just gave up on loading & unloading into my truck bed and bought a trailer instead. I suppose I could have got creative and saved a little coin like you did.

[fish4ever1000]

Hey Hemi,

Is the piece that rests on the ground actually angled so that it rests level on the ground? BTW, you should really think about patenting this idea.

[311Hemi]

Yes...it in angled.

I can't take all the credit (doh!) as I got the idea from the EZ Sled loader at cyclehauler (Contact US Regarding This Word). They actually sells a very similar system out of aluminum so for $440 canadian. I didn't want to spend that money so I figured wood was the next best thing....and much cheaper.

Can I patent the wood version?

BTW.....I may try to add a stopper this week so I know the tilt point that will make it very easy to lift....it's sometimes harder if you don't have the sled/ramp high enough into the truck (thus why I back up)!!!